Ghosts
by SpazzyNinjaSpork
Summary: Riku's an angry little insomniac who just so happens to see ghosts. Axel just so happens to be one of them. [AkuRiku] [Multichap, yay!]
1. Ghosts

A/N:

I put angst. I probably shouldn't have put angst, but Riku does enough teenangsting for a lifetime. XD

My tribute to the AkuRiku fics of this world. I love them. They own soul :D Please continue to own soul, AkuRiku! XD

Disclaimer: Don't own Riku, don't own Axel. I'm a sad panda.

* * *

Riku's mother heard her son enter the house, swearing, as he did almost every evening. She heard him kick off his shoes, mumbling angrily to himself about problems he would never share with her. She continued to stand there, preparing a dinner her son wouldn't eat, and awaited the next part of their evening routine.

Then she heard it. A crash. Riku had flung himself against the wall, his breathing quickened. He stayed like that a moment, watching in horror as air passed by him. Then he freed himself from the wall and began shouting at the air, in an almost accusing manner. His mother sighed inwardly, as to not let her son hear. But her sigh was drowned out by her son's loud footsteps on the stairs, then the slam of his door.

She had cried only once about this routine, which had started a little after her husband had left the two of them. For her son's seeing the deceased had torn the family apart, seam by seam, until her husband could no longer stand it.

* * *

"DAMMIT!" Riku cried, punching a dent in the wall. He always punched that spot, ever since he had realized it wouldn't break. He wanted the dent to get to the point where yes, it did break, at which point he would probably run away, or something worse.

"Damn Sora, damn Kairi, damn island..." he said, walking to his bed, and falling into it. "Damn Nobodies, damn darkness, damn...!!" He turned on his light, luminating the room. "Damn it all..." He sighed lightly, trying not to get to angry. "No," he said after a moment. "No..." he closed his eyes. "It sucks to be the odd man out."

"Tell me about it," a female voice said, of a young girl. Riku's face immediately shot up, glaring fiercely.

"GO AWAY!" He demanded. The girl giggled, then passed through. She was thirteen. Meaning she died at thirteen. Ghosts never aged. She claimed--merely _claimed_--that she was supposed to be Riku's age, of seventeen. Riku knew all of this, and a bit more, because she always seemed to show up at the most unreasonable places, stalking him.

He sighed again, and closed his eyes. _I think I'm hungry..._ he thought, but fell asleep.

* * *

When he awoke, there wasn't a ghost in the room. Usually one or two would be asleep themselves, or be awake, ready to smother Riku in their problems. He shuddered at the thought of another night where his insomnia was taken advantage of.

His stomach growled. He looked down; this was a rare occurance indeed. "Food?" he asked, still groggy, as though the aspect was foreign to him. He opened the door of his room, and peered out into the hallway. Still no ghosts. This was even rarer than the aspect of being hungry. He took a relunctant step out into the hallway, as though one false move would send a horde of uncalled for ghosts raging at him, bearing down with their problems, swallowing him in a midst of lonely words and neon-white skin. His breathing became shallow as memories flooded his mind, of his childhood, of ghosts coming up to him and taking advantage of his uneducated mind, scarring him with their tales.

He drowned in the darkness of night.

This also happened to be the first time he watched a ghost materialize in front of him. It was a simple spectacle; the ghost just seemed to fade into his field of vision. He stared at it, long and hard, a young man with a spiky mess of hair and tattoos under his eyes. Then Riku realized that this was just another ghost, another soul come to bear problems upon and take advantage of him. He shook his head and darted around the ghost before it had a chance to open it's eyes. His eyes. The ghost was undoubtedly male.

Bolting down the stairs, Riku's first thought was not to trip, soon followed by the fact that he _was _going to have to get back up to his room by some means. He slowed his pace, and sighed--he'd come to that matter when he'd have to.

He zapped some leftover lasagna in the microwave when he entered the kitchen, and placed it into a bowl. As he turned to get a fork, he saw the ghost who had appeared in front of him standing in front of the silverware drawer.

"What do you want?" Riku asked, voice dripping with hatred.

"What the hell is this place?" The ghost asked, looking around. "Who the hell are you?"

"This is my _house_," Riku retorted, reaching through the ghost and opening the drawer.

"What th--stop that!!" the ghost cried, side-stepping to get out of Riku's way. Riku turned to him, unfazed. The ghost sighed. "It's very uncomfortable."

"I'd assume," Riku muttered, getting his fork and turning to walk away.

"Wait a tick," the ghost said, walking--or whatever it is ghosts do--after him. "I'm dead, right?"

"I would _assume_," Riku replied, wandering into the den, where he flipped on the TV. "If not, I'd have had charged your ass with breaking and entering already." He took a bite of the lasagna.

"Well you're...pleasant," the ghost muttered, sitting in a chair. He noticed the clock on the DVD player. "Wait, it's almost three. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Riku pointed to himself. "Insomniac," he said, not taking his eyes off the television.

"Don't they have medication for that?" the ghost asked. Riku nodded.

"They have anger management therapy, too. I've never taken a class in my life."

"So you're an angry little insomniac?"

"To put it bluntly, yes."

The ghost shrugged, though Riku didn't notice. The TV was the only thing lighting up the room, and Riku's eyes were glued to it.

"...why am I here?" the ghost asked when the program cut to a commercial. Riku turned to him.

"Feeling philosophic?"

"No, not like that...I mean," the ghost paused for a moment, "why did I come to _this_ place? I thought there was an afterlife,"

"To some, yes." Riku said, finishing the lasagna. "You must have done something you needed to fullfill, or been a bad little bastard or something."

"You really are angry,"

"Yes. I am." Riku sat up, crossing his legs. "You probably were directed here due to the fact that I can see ghosts, and they like to pour their little problems onto me. So go on, the therapist is ready."

"You don't sound like you like the problems being poured onto you," the ghost commented slowly.

Riku smirked. "No, go on." His smirk melted into a grin. "I'll crush you."

The ghost returned his smile. "My problems aren't your's, kid, and you don't need more."

Riku's grin faded instantly. He stared at the ghost, who was still grinning. Riku then found himself shaking his head, slowly at first, then quicker. He stopped, and stood. "D-Damn," he muttered, and went to the kitchen, lasagna bowl in hand.


	2. Axel

A/N:  
OHMYGOSH THANK YOU ALL!!! I'm so happy this got such a response in the time it did :D  
I hope I let none of you down, great reviewers! -bow-  
Disclaimer: Yeah, Riku and Axel are totally mine. -shifty eyes-

* * *

"So, you never told me your name," 

Riku had actually shut off the TV, and was engaging in conversation with the ghost. He sat on the couch, his knees pulled up close to him so that he could rest his chin on them. "It's not important." He muttered.

"What the hell?" The ghost laughed. "Emo."

Riku frowned. Not the first time he had been called that, not the last. He had nothing against them, he just thought that he wasn't. "Riku."

"Axel," the ghost said. "So what's this about ghosts murdering you with their problems?"

"They just sit there until I come home, and they tell me everything."

"Doesn't sound that bad to me," Axel said, shrugging. Riku's eyes narrowed.

"That's it--it doesn't sound that bad to anyone else."

"You've talked to other people about it?" Axel asked, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Maybe you're not as emo as I--"

"I just know what to expect of other people."

There was a moment-long silence.

"...emo." Axel chuckled.

"Shut it." Riku said, then added to himself, "Bastard."

"So kind," Axel laughed. "So really, who in their right mind would tell _you _their problems? You don't take it very well."

"They...they just do," Riku said. "I'll make my comments, but they don't _stop. _They just keep rambling. It's funny, really." He laughed, though it was partially forced. "To just keep talking, even if the person doesn't want to hear it? To just ramble away, about the brutal murders you caused, about the people you betrayed, about your death."

Axel shifted, leaning back. "How long have you had to put up with that crap?"

"Twelve years," Riku said bluntly. Axel leaned foward.

"Wow, seriously? That sounds so...sucky,"

"Indeed." Riku put his feet back on the ground. "Now I feel hypocritical, telling you all that. It's fine. I'm fine."

"What the hell?" Axel asked. "You're mentally scarred or something, aren't you?"

"I'm _fine,_" Riku repeated. "You're a weird ghost, you know that? Shouldn't you be haunting your one true love or something?"

Axel chuckled. "About that."

"Or making ammends for something wrong you did before you died?"

Axel began to laugh. "I could kill two birds with one stone!"

Riku was silent. "...the hell?"

"Nevermind, you wouldn't care," Axel said, looking around the room. Riku nodded.

"You're right, I wouldn't."

Axel laughed again, while sighing. "You're on lost cause, kid."

"Better than being a wandering soul," Riku muttered, scowling.

Axel shrugged. "Touche."

They sat there in silence a while, Riku looking out a window as the black sky began to turn a navy blue. "It's almost 4:30," Axel said, breaking the silence. Riku turned back to him. "Shouldn't you be at least _trying _to sleep?" Axel continued.

Riku shook his head. "No point. I'm beyond it now. I just wish they'd put something interesting on the TV once and a while."

"There has to be something worthwile on," Axel said. Riku scowled, and stood up.

"I'm going to bed."

"I thought you just said--"

"I just said _I'm going to bed_." He repeated, louder this time. He turned away, storming to his room.

Axel smirked. "Emo," he muttered.

* * *

Riku rolled over in his sleep, and woke up as the sun beat into his eyelids. He turned away, letting his eyes take as long as they wanted to fully open. Usually ghosts didn't come in the morning, making his room a haven for the few hours. He sat up, rubbing one eye. 

"Don't you have school or something?"

The voice frightened Riku; he jumped, clutching his comforter to his body. "D-Dammit Axel!" Riku yelled, glaring over to the ghost. "Ghosts are never in my room this early in the day!!"

"Forgive me, I'm new to this." Axel said, shrugging. He blinked. "O-Oh," he laughed awkwardly. "You...You didn't sleep in the nu--"

"GET THE HELL OUT!!!"

* * *

Riku slipped out of his door, his face still painted pink from blushing too hard. "No, I didn't." He said, not making eye contact with Axel, who laughed. 

"But you didn't have a shirt on..."

"It's perfectly normal for a guy like me to sleep in his boxers, alright?!" Riku yelled, glaring up at Axel, who was considerably taller than him.

"'Like me'? What, are you some kind of superhuman new race or something?" Axel asked, following Riku down the hall and down the stairs.

"I meant my age." Riku replied, monotone. Axel nodded.

"You're what, eighteen? Shouldn't you still be attending high school?"

"I'm seventeen, and I'm not going today," Riku replied, making his way to the kitchen. "That's why I never bothered trying to sleep last night, that's why I didn't set my alarm, that's why I didn't wake up."

Axel blinked. "How often do you ditch?"

"Dude," Riku said, turning to him, his eyes angry. "You're not my mother. Now either shut up or get the hell away from me: you choose."

Axel looked away, into the den. "You eating in there again?"

"I'm not eating," Riku said, standing in front of the refrigerator. "Th-There's nothing here." He slammed the door harder than he meant to, and stared at his hand, eyes wide.

"...Riku?" Axel asked, stepping toward the boy.

Riku's wide eyes pulled away from his hand, and he said, "Town. Let's go into town today. What do you say?"

Axel frowned. _The kid's freaking bipolar! _He nodded. "Sure, whatever."

Riku smiled. "Cool. I'll be ready in a few."

Axel smiled as well, watching Riku run back up the stairs. _Or maybe not._

Suddenly, Riku stopped and turned around, scowling. "It's not a freaking date, pervert. So don't go expecting anything from me."

"What the hell?!" Axel asked. "Who said I wanted you?"

_No, no, I'm pretty sure he is._


	3. Town

A/N:  
XD Immensely short chapter. Gomen ne. It's more of a bridge than anything. XD  
:O First time I've ever written anything where anyone drops an f-bomb. Whee X3  
Oh, and I'd just like to thank everyone for watching/reviewing/all that. I really hope I don't let you down...I'd like, hate myself if I did. x.X  
Ohz again, FYI, this fic is really short .;; Just know that, okee? BUT IT HAS AN EPILOGUE!!!! I hope that makes up for any horrible mistakes I make XD  
Disclaimer: I OWN DESTINY ISLAND BUS STOP, YO!!! O.o PH33R!

* * *

"Destiny. Island. Bus stop." Axel read, blinking at the sign.

"Great one, genius," Riku said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What's next, the cure for cancer?"

The bus pulled up, allowing Riku and, unbeknownst to the driver, Axel on. The stepped inside, and the door closed as Riku took a the third seat from the back.

A girl with brown hair and green eyes turned around in her seat to face Riku.

"Selphie," Riku greeted lifelessly, not turning away from the window.

"Riku," Selphie returned the lifeless greeting. "Where's your boyfriend, Sora?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Riku growled, his face twisting into another scowl. He still faced the window.

"Oh, that's right...he's dating _Kairi_ now, isn't he? No time for little ol' Riku." She smirked. "Oh, poor, poor Riku, all alone in the world..."

"Go to school," Riku retorted, turning to her with eyes filled with hate and disgust.

"Get a job," she laughed, turning away from him and sitting back in her seat.

"Bitch," Riku murmured, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead on the cool glass of the window. The vibrations of when the bus hit bumps made his head pound, but he didn't care. Axel made no comment. Riku didn't even bother to look at him.

* * *

The two stepped off the bus, into the empty streets of town square. Shops were on both sides of them; a road paved with stones lay before them, between the two rows of shops.

"Riku?" Axel asked, as Riku went to take a step. He stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Where's a place we could talk...like, where you wouldn't get looked at like a freak."

"Here's fine," Riku said. "There's no tourists this season, and everyone's at work or school."

"Alright," Axel scratched the back of his head. "That's bitch back there mentioned a kid named Sora."

"What about him?" Riku asked, his head tilting slightly to the side as he did.

"By any chance, did Sora...get this...well, any affiliation to Roxas?"

Riku's eyes got wider, though not by much. "His No--" his voice caught in his throat. He swallowed. "His Nobody."

Axel beamed, nodding feverently. "Yeah!!" He took a breath, looking at the ground, the ecstacy growing within him. "I...I go way back with that kid!!" He looked back up at Riku. "God, could I see him?"

Riku's dull eyes scanned over Axel's estatic expression, trying to recall a time when he was that happy. Nothing came up. "Sure," Riku said apathetically. "If we take the next bus, we could probably get there right before Sora gets home."

"But what about the...town, place? All these shops? What about them?"

"They don't matter anymore."

"But you seemed like you wanted to--"

"Shut up!" Riku demanded, staring at the road beside the bus stop. "Just shut up, shut up, shut up!!"

"Okay, okay, geez." Axel said, putting his hands up in front of him almost defensively. "Didn't mean to set you off like that."

"I'm not--!! AGH!" Riku shouted, frustrated. "I'm not worked up, set off, any of that crap--I'M FINE!!!"

"You're the one screaming about stupid stuff!!"  
"YOU'RE THE ONE FREAKING FOLLOWING ME AROUND!!!!" Riku yelled, turning to him. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT CAN'T PASS ON, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT CAN'T GO TO FREAKING AFTERLIFE!!! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT KEEPS BUTTING IN WHEN IT'S _**NOBODY'S FUCKING BUISNESS!!!**_"

Axel blinked, silent, taken aback. Riku clenched his fist, his knuckles white, like his face. His pale face, with the willowy whisps of blue-silver hair, and those dull, gray, lifeless eyes, brimming with glittering tears...

"Fine."

Riku's angry expression dissolved, into one of a wide-eyed, scared child.

"No kid. You need you're space. You're, what, seventeen right? I get it, the world gets it, I'll leave you alone."

Riku opened his mouth, but no words came. "I...I didn't..."

"Next bus, right?" Axel pointed to the bus, pulling up. "Thanks for everything, Riku. I guess I'll see ya when I see ya."

And with that, Riku was alone in the town, in the island. He wasn't just alone to the townspeople, he wasn't just alone to his mother;

No, Riku was alone to everyone, including himself.


	4. Suicide

A/N:  
Had to change this chappie around a bit, but I think it all works. :D Figured you guys have suffered enough waiting for the new chapter, so I posted XD  
And again, thank you all for you lovely reviews and comments!!  
Longer chappie this time. :3 And for the record--don't worry, the fact that Riku can't hit her will be explained :D

* * *

Riku was running, almost sprinting, down the center of the road. He wasn't thinking about the consequences of doing so, no--he was thinking about the consequences of how he had been the last twelve years. 

_Oh God, dad...I think mom used to read me letters he wrote, or did she make them all--_

_Mom!!_

Riku skidded to a halt, still in the center of the road. His breathing was long and heavy, and he wanted to sit down. To curl up in a ball. To die there.

_When was the last time I talked to her? When was the last time I made eye contact with her? _He looked up at the sky. _Does she even...does she even still live at our house?_

"Riku!!!"

Riku turned, and saw Sora pull up beside him on his bike. "Get to the side, Riku, you're gonna get yourself killed!!"

_When was the last time I spoke to Sora...and Kairi...after they got together?_

Riku stared at him, words taking a while to piece together in his mind. "You..." he began, and shook his head. "You're not at your house?"

"Obviously not," Sora replied, frowning. "If I was, do you think I'd be standing here trying to convince you against suicide?"

Riku looked away from his friend and down the road. _This is suicide? __**This**__ is __**suicide**__? I always pictured more...adrenaline._ "But...someone's waiting there for you," Riku continued, trying to pry his mind off of suicide.

There was a loud honking noise. The two turned to see a speeding truck racing at them, trying, but failing, to slow down.

"Riku, dammit, move!!" Sora screamed, grabbing Riku and pulling him to the opposite side of the dual yellow lines. The truck whizzed past, shooting air at them in it's wake.

_Would that have stopped? _Riku thought, eyes following the truck. _Would I have really...died?_

"Look, I'm sorry!" Sora cried, doing his best to choke back tears. "I...I know you're really p-pissed off and me and Kairi right now...and...and..." he was shaking now, and tears were finally starting to fall. "I'm sorry..."

Riku smiled sadly. "Sora, look at yourself,"

Sora looked up at Riku. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Sora." Riku sighed, doing his best to compose himself. "I wasn't killing myself," He scowled. "I have something on my mind, idiot, I just got lost in that and didn't see where I was going."

Sora smiled. "Really?" he asked, as the tears stop pouring from his eyes. They still clung to his face though. It made Riku feel terrible, though he refused to show it.

"Yeah," Riku said. A smile broke through his scowl, and he hit Sora on the top of the head playfully. "Dork."

Sora closed his eyes, trying to force the remaining tears out. "I...g-gotta..."

"Chya, you gotta leave," Riku said, pushing Sora away, who had been a little too close for comfort. "Axel's wai--"

"Axel?!" Sora's face instantly lit up. Then, as fast as it did, it fell. "Riku, he's--"

"I know, I know, but Sora, I can see--"

"I know." Sora interrupted. "And I'd love to see him again, but," he heard the slow fade to Roxas's voice as he spoke, "I'm not you, Riku. I can't see him."

Riku's smile became sad. He hadn't thought of that. He had never even _considered _that. He had only wanted to make Axel happy, to see Axel that happy again.

"Oh, crap."

Sora blinked, whiping his face off. "What's wrong, Riku?"

"I..." he was moving away from Sora now, to his bike. "I have to leave. And I have to borrow this."

"What are you--!?" Sora cried as Riku rode away. "Riku!!! Riku, you can't just take my bike!!! _Riku!!!_"

As Riku hit the horizon, Sora laughed. "Freakin' bipolar emo, trying to kill himself then stealing my bike, what the hell..."

* * *

"Axel!!" Riku cried, skidding to a halt in front of Sora's house. He let the bike fall to pavement as he ran up the steps, swinging the door open and letting himself in. 

"Axel?!" Riku called again, ignoring the kitchen and heading straight upstairs. "Yo, Axel, where'd you--"

A horrible thought crossed Riku's mind, though he dissmissed it immediately. _What if Axel figured out that Roxas wouldn't be able to see him, so he just passed on?_

"C-Can ghosts do that?" Riku asked, feeling a deep sadness overwhelm him. "Can they just pass on at will?" Riku swallowed, and walked back down the stairs. Sora wasn't going to get home at any time soon. He didn't feel like waiting, so he headed back to his own house, leaving Sora's bike at the house.

* * *

He opened the door to his house, passing through a ghost as he did. "What the hell?!" the ghost cried, shooting a glare at him. "You know we don't--" 

Riku kept walking, not even stopping to make a cruel comment. Up the stairs. Down the hallway. He paused in front of his room. The ghost girl, who had annoyed Riku to death for so many years, stood in front of his door.

"Move," Riku commanded, to worn out to swear at her.

"Riku," she said, smiling. Riku began to reach out to his doorknob and just pass through her, but her actions made him stay where he was. She had placed his hands directly next to his cheeks, being very careful not to pass through him. "Riku," she repeated, smiling lovingly. Riku stared back at her with lifeless eyes.

"You..." she began, then slapped him. Hard. "YOU BASTARD!"

"What the hell?" Riku cried, falling back. "H-How did you hit me...?"

"Falling in love when I'm _right here_..." She ranted, wiping crocodile tears from her eyes. "Wait...what did you ask?"

"How did you make contact with me? That's...impossible,"

An evil smile drifted onto her face. "Riku, silly boy, why do you think you can see ghosts?"

"What?" Riku asked, eyes widening.

"Hell, I wouldn't be suprised if you were a ghost yourself," she muttered to herself. "Bastard, I bet your father was a ghost. Where did daddy go, anyway? What happened to him?"

"Stop talking!" Riku tried to yell, but his voice broke halfway through.

"Aw, did I strike a nerve? Widdle baby," She was grinning now, an insane grin that spread all over her face. "I should kill you right now! Make you a ghost yourself! Hell, you know how to be a ghost better than any of _us!_"

"Freaking..." Riku began, but the ghost forced him against the wall, his neck in her grip. "Bit...agh...!!" he choked, his eyes starting to water uncontrollably. _Am I going to die here? That would really suck..._

"Bitch..." Riku croaked, trying to swing his arm around and punch her. The punch went through, and the sudden movement made his head spin and his eyes blotch with colors.

"You'd call me that?" she asked, whispering in his ear. Or that's what it felt like. His ability to see had fled him. "Oh Riku, you're in no _position _to call people _names_," she tightened her grip, forcing him further into the wall. He wondered if she was going to break it, forcing him into a different room, or completely out of the house.

"Daddy's gone, Riku," she whispered. "Daddy's _dead_. Don't you remember? Your mommy never believed that you were seeing ghosts, she thought you were playing a game, until you saw _Daddy_."

Riku couldn't even breathe now, much more demand what she was talking about.

"A day later Mommy was told Daddy died in a car accident. Remember who the little girl in the front seat was? Riku, I will never, _ever_ forgive your father, or your family, for taking my life away when you did. I had so much more going for me than you ever will."

Riku's eyes shot open, the memory he had worked to barracade flooding into him. _This _was that girl? No, surely she was lying. But then, how did she...? When even _he _had worked to forget...

"What's...your...name..." Riku asked, more or less just mouthing it. The grip let up a little bit. "M-My name?"

"Y..." the breath blew out of him. His body sank. Everything went limp.

And it was over, all over, the increasing cold and darkness taking over his body.


	5. Home

A/N:  
Figured you guys deserved a new chapter. :3 You're all such great fans. X3  
I'm sorry it's so short/pretty much over. -sob- This was my first actually completed shonenai fic. I never intended for it to be actually _long_.  
But there's an epilogue:D Look foward to that.  
Thanks to everyone who read/is reading this. I reached 700+ views for it! HUZZAH!! -pops party cracker-  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Axel or Riku. But I wish I did. XD

* * *

Something was forming.

Yes, audible noises were beginning to make contact with Riku's brain. Familiar speech patterns, a quick one, followed by a longer one. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. No, that's the sound of a heartbeat.

Wait a second--

"DAMMIT RIKU, WAKE UP!"

There was a pain in his stomach, and Riku's eyes flew open as he coughed up a few specks of blood. They fell into the carpet.

"Oh crap, Riku, I'm sorry..." Axel's voice said. Riku looked up, still sitting in an odd position slumped against the wall.

"Axel," Riku muttered.

"Yeah, me. That bitch passed on."

"Am I dead?" Riku asked softly, showing no signs of horror at the aspect. Axel shook his head. "Oh," Riku said, his expression slowly turning back to that of his normal scowl.

"Do you _want _to be dead?" Axel asked, frowning. Riku shrugged, trying to get up. Axel looked around frantically. "Don't you think you should, like, stay sitting?"

"No," Riku muttered, getting up. "It...sucks,"

"Sitting sucks?" Axel asked, chuckling softly.

"Sh-shut up," Riku muttered, realizing how stupid the statement had really been. He finally succeeded in standing. "See? Nothing bad happened."

"Yeah, not yet," Axel said, eyebrows coming together in a frown that seemed to show the slightest elements of concern.

"Damn, Axel," Riku said, letting a smile break free onto his face. "You never struck me as a guy who worried."

"I don't worry!" Axel said, scowling more.

Riku nodded. "Then shut the hell up." He looked around. "Where'd you say that bitch went?"

"Passed on," Axel said, nodding.

Riku shook his head. "Damn." He blinked. "How'd she hit me?"

"Got really pissed, I guess," Axel replied, shrugging. "She died young, right? She probably still had some life left in her." He looked up. "Or, it's like, when we get worked up enough, normal people see us. Maybe they can feel us, too."

"Oh," Riku said. "She made it seem like--"

"Riku," Axel said, cutting him off. "You're still alive, whether you like it or not."

Riku felt like he should smile, but he didn't.

The two seemed restless standing there, but they both knew they had nowhere to be, nowhere to actually _go_. "This sucks." Riku said, kicking the door to his room open and flopping onto his bed.

"Tell me about it," Axel replied, staying standing beside the door. Riku let loose a sigh.

"No, really. This really, _really _sucks." He frowned up at the ceiling, but a sad frown, not his usual angry one.

"I know!" Axel said, rolling his eyes. "It sucks to be the odd man out."

Riku looked up in the same instant of Axel finishing his sentence. Axel turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "...what?" he asked.

Riku closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's nothing, it's nothing," he murmured, letting his head fall back onto the bed.

They were silent a moment, thankful for each other's company, but unwilling to admit it.

"Axel?" Riku asked, killing the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you come back here?" There was no trace of mockery, no voice of hatred, no flicker of annoyance. It was a true, honest question. Axel smiled, leaning against a wall.

"I dunno," Axel answered, shrugging, though Riku couldn't see him. "I just...I really just _wanted_ to come back, I _missed _this useless place."

Riku was silent, his eyes open once again, staring blankly at the ceiling. He wanted to so much to look up and see Axel's expression at that moment, but he refused to let himself. Instead he did his best to imagine it on the empty white color of the ceiling.

"Did you not want me to come back?" Axel asked quietly.

This time, despite himself, Riku looked up from his bed; sat up, really. He thought of Sora, he thought of Kairi, he thought of his family, he thought of everyone else on the island, who saw him as a troubled teenager that should be going to therapy rather than staying couped up in his room everyday. He thought of millions of ghosts who had taken advantage of him since before he could remember, filling his mind with awful, torturous images, with stories of bloody deaths and dreadful betrayal.

"No," Riku choked, shaking his head. "I...I really did, I wanted you to come back." He walked over, standing in front of Axel, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Then he threw his arms around him, beginning to cry. "Y-You won't leave, right?" Riku cried, feeling like a small child, crying into Axel the way he was. But he could feel Axel in his arms; Axel was just as real to Riku as Riku was himself.

Axel chuckled, placing a hand on Riku's head. "No," he answered softly.

"No, I'm not leaving."

* * *

Random second A/N:  
When Axel talks about being the odd man out, he's referring to how he couldn't communicate with Roxas. :3 Thought I'd clear that up. -sweatdrop-  
Love conquers all.  
Heh. 


	6. Epilogue

A/N:  
...wow, I haven't updated this in like...two months.  
Or something.  
Anyway, time for the incredibly-short epilogue that leaves everything hanging!! 8D Aren't you all EXCITED?!  
Yeah I know you hate me. T-T I'd hate me too, for writing such an awful ending. XD;; But like I said, I never intended for this to be _long_. There's some more AkuRiku in the works for me, though, so possibly a continuation...? -shrug- All depends on what you people want.  
I hope you enjoy this last chapter. ; Like, in all honesty, I really do. o-o;;

* * *

Riku's mother heard him enter the house, muttering words of dislike to himself about people he would never talk to her about. She heard him kick off his shoes, continuing to growl under his breath. She sighed, chopping onions, and wondered if that was why she felt like crying.

The swallowed down her tears, and continued. _At least he's been eating lately,_ she thought to herself, trying to make life a little more pleasant. It wasn't succeeding.

She waited a moment, frowning. No, something wasn't right. There hadn't been any scolding of ghosts wandering their halls; she hadn't even heard him run up the stairs. She turned around to see her son standing there, an awkward expression on his face, his eyes looking down toward the ground.

"Mom." He said, doing his best to summon up an urge for conversation.

His mother, taken aback, paused before returning his "greeting". "Riku," she said, smiling warmly.

He glanced at her, then back to the ground. "I'm home," he said, and turned to walk to his room. Not wanting to make her son upset, she said nothing more. She hoped it was just the onions that were making her emotional.

* * *

"God, Axel," Riku muttered, flopping onto his bed and turning on the television. "That was downright _sucky_,"

"You made her day, I bet," the ghost replied, sitting next to him. "When was the last time you talked to her?"

"Ugh..." Riku moaned. "I don't _know_...my head hurts."

"We're whiny today," Axel said, casting a glance at Riku, wearing a smirk.

Riku glared up at the tall soul. "Oh, shut up. Sora and Kairi have gotten themselves into a fight."

"Ooh, is widdle Wiku wight in the middoh of it?" Axel asked, laughing.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Riku replied, rolling his eyes. "They sit on either side of me, stand on either side of me--they use me to convey messages, though I paraphrase and sometimes convey a completely different message." He chuckled. "They're _so _made for each other."

They watched the end of the sitcom. "So," Axel began, "you never explained to me why you can see ghosts, why they can make physical contact with you, and all that bull crap."

Riku shrugged as the credits rolled by. "Some things you never find the answer to." He replied. "It's how life is."

They watched the preview for the next show flash onto the television, silent.

"Hand me the remote?" Axel asked, nodding to it on the other side of Riku. "I hate this show,"

"Get it yourself, bastard," Riku replied, not taking his eyes off the TV. Axel shoved him off the bed.

"What the hell was that for?!" Riku cried, brushing himself off as he sat up on his bedroom floor. "Take your damn remote," he chucked it at Axel, who burst into laughter.

"You freakin' emo."

* * *

A/N (again.):  
And thus, it concludes. Not much to rant about. Riku's still emo, Axel's still...Axel. But at least they have each other.  
Come to think of it, they argue like an old married couple. XD


End file.
